Proposition 8 Is Wrong

Californians are in an uproar this week over Proposition 8, the ballot measure that passed with 52% of the popular vote in November.

Demonstrators on both sides have engaged in shouting matches. Typically, those opposing Proposition 8 are friendly to gays. Those supporting Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage, are usually religious right types who are at best unsympathetic to gays.

I do not have great confidence that the California Supreme Court will overturn Proposition 8 as being unconstitutional.

Regardless of the merits of the case, however, Proposition 8 is just plain wrong. It amounts to a coalition of well-funded religious groups imposing their will on the rest of us. It is irresponsible to deny marriage to gays.

Gay marriage is also a civil rights issue. The alternative to marriage, civil unions, amounts to a separate but equal doctrine. This doctrine was dismissed years ago in Brown v. Board of Education. It should not be resurrected in California.

Even if, as I fear, the court will decide to uphold Proposition 8, the fight for civil liberties will go on. Homosexuals have made astounding gains in the past few years, and California will continue to lead the nation by eventually overturning Proposition 8 and replacing it with legislation the hold’s fast to this nation’s founding principles of life and liberty.

The Year in Review

It has been a bittersweet year for the Conejo Valley. We’ve seen the worst—a crippling downturn in the housing market, a rash of store closings, a sharp increase in unemployment, the reelection of Elton Gallegly and Audra Strickland, the election of Tony Strickland, the passage of antigay legislation—and we’ve seen the best—the election to the presidency of Barack Obama.

Only one mark in our favor seems trifling, pitiful, laughable. But it is not. The nation can always and forever be proud to have elected an African American to the highest office in the land. The Democratic party can always be proud that it was the first party to successfully run an African American candidate. But most of all, the American people can never cease to be proud of what it has accomplished by the election of this man to the White House.

We have rejected eight years of regressive policies, economic mismanagement, willful ignorance, and petulant statesmanship. We have accepted in its place a new openness. We have confirmed America’s place at the standard bearer of liberty, as a place where the Constitution, not a muddled theocratic conception of the world, is the highest source of law. We have reclaimed our rightful place among the community of nations.

Barack Obama, there is a lot on your shoulders, but we believe in you. Do not ever be discouraged. There is a nation depending on you.

There was a telling few seconds of video on the NBC Nightly News the other night. The story dealt with California’s fiscal crisis and Republican obstructionism. A brief snippet of video showed Tony Strickland in the Senate chamber lethargically poking away at a Blackberry while the important business of the state passed him by. His answer to the budget crisis was a simple “no.” No is not a responsible answer. No simply abdicates responsibility to someone else. No is not leadership.

It would be easy at this point to bemoan the loss of Hannah-Beth Jackson to Strickland in the narrowly contested Senate race. But what matters is where we go from here. We have a budget; there is still much work to be done. So Democrats lick the wounds they’ve suffered from during the last year, but  can be confident in the knowledge that they have won the fight—and that their good work will continue to invigorate our nation.

Good Man Gone: Dantona Bows Out of District 19 Senate Race

I was shocked when I opened the paper this morning. There was this headline: “Democrat Dantona Drops Run for Senate.”

 

Well, it was a good run.

 

Dantona, as you may know, was running for the Democratic nomination for the state senate’s District 19 seat. He announced his candidacy this summer, an early announcement, but one probably made in the hope of deterring former state assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson from running for the same seat.

 

Dantona said he made his decision to “keep the peace”–that is, to avoid a costly showdown with Jackson at the primary.

 

I acknowledge his logic, but really, it’s a shame.

 

Dantona was the best person for the job. District 19 is a conservative district that is very closely split between Democrats and Republicans. He was a candidate that could appeal to both sides of the aisle.

 

Although I will support her, as will most Democrats, I have my doubts about whether Jackson can inspire the centrists. But neither can her Republican rival, Tony Strickland, who is just a bit right of the mercifully retired Trent Lott.

 

With most voters ignorant of the issues in the race, many will probably deliver a straight party-line vote. Another crucial factor will be partisan turnout. Whoever can motivate the troops stands a good chance of winning.

 

Dantona took, by and large, the right positions on the right issues. As a sort of farewell to his candidacy, I present here a short excerpt of my interview with him at a Simi Valley fundraiser on October 18. My hope is that Jackson will adopt his positions on many of the issues.

 

 

What the state going to look like under your leadership? What are you going to differently than Mr. McClintock.

 

Certainly much differently than our previous state senator and Tony Strickland. I think, as I talked about out there, outsourcing of jobs, it’s ridiculous that corporations should be allowed to have any type of…that obviously when you have corporations who are getting federal and tax benefits and outsourcing those jobs, they’re getting the best of both worlds. They’re saying, well, we don’t have to hire the 10 or 12 or 14-dollar-an-hour employee here, we can hire a $3 a day employee in New Delhi or in Manila, and I’ve been to Manila, I went to Manila three times to look at and travel there because of outsourcing. I am not against globalization. What I’m against is when major corporations end up outsourcing jobs Americans, Californians in particular, lose their jobs, they can’t afford any health care, they can’t afford anything else in terms of putting food on the table. In addition, the corporations are taking their tax benefits, the major corporate heads are taking their huge bonuses of millions and millions of dollars and the people in these other countries, these third-world countries like New Delhi I mean, in India, like the Philippines, are working for less than what the minimum is even in those countries, that’s wrong. That’s a big problem for me.

 

I care about the ability of women to be able to choose what they want, that they’re working on the same level. We have two people that are living, I don’t even know how many years back, neither one of them know that women have rights, okay. They have been terrible on the issues of women’s rights. They have been terrible on the issue of choice. They have been terrible about it’s a woman’s decision and that’s going to be…that’s not going to change from where the Democratic party is, but it’s going to change about what this district’s talking about, and that’s really true.

 

And I think the other thing we talked about here too was just the ability…the major difference between myself and Tony [Strickland], McClintock, and any of the Republicans is that I can work with both sides now. I can work with the pro tem and the leadership of the party, and that’s what we need. You elect Strickland or anybody else including McClintock and they could never work with the leadership.

 

This district was unrepresented for 8 years under McClintock. It will be unrepresented if another Republican takes over like Strickland. These people are not mainstream people. McClintock is so far to the right that his own party has problems with him. The moderates have come to me.

 

Jim Dantona on the Issues: Part 1—The Campaign

This article is the first in a series about Jim Dantona’s views on the issues that are important to him and to residents of California’s State Senate District 19, which he seeks to represent. The district is currently represented by Tom McClintock, who will step down at the expiration of his term. Former state assemblyman Tony Strickland looks likely to win the Republican nomination; Dantona and former state assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson will contest the Democratic nomination.

When Jim Dantona announced he would enter the campaign for the California State Senate’s District 19 seat in August, the race was still wide open. Only former Republican assemblyman Tony Strickland was known to be running for the seat.

But then, after weeks of swirling rumors, former assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson announced on October 17 that she would enter the race.

After years of declining Republican voter registration in Ventura County, the race is competitive and according to Timm Herdt of the Ventura County Star, will be closely watched by both parties.

“It will likely be one of the most contested and expensive Senate races in the state, as it is one of only a few that is potentially competitive,” Herdt wrote on August 28.

Now this is getting exciting.

“Dantona’s candidacy has energized east county Democrats who have endured years of famine,” wrote Herdt in an October 24 opinion piece, “A Democratic Civil War?”

The problem for Dantona is that Jackson enjoys the support of many people in Santa Barbara and the west end of the county.

This could mean an east-west battle over the Democratic nomination.

Make no mistake, District 19 is an important part of a very important state. It includes the Ventura County cities of Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, and Simi Valley among others. In Santa Barbara County, it includes the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito, and Lompoc, among others.

Even after the Democratic nominee is chosen, there will be a tough battle against Tony Strickland, who has already raised a lot of money.

So why is Jim Dantona running?

“This race means a great deal to me,” he said at a fundraiser on October 18. “We are motivated.”

“We can finally break the hold of the McClintock-Strickland machine that they’ve had for so many years.”

Dantona’s strategy has been to call himself a centrist, knowing that the district is narrowly split between Democrats and Republicans, with a large cadre of people declining to state a party affiliation.

“You know, it’s not a matter of just some label on you—you’re liberal, you’re conservative, you’re a Democrat, you’re a Republican—it doesn’t really matter: it’s about all of us living a better life,” said Dantona.

During the speech at his fundraiser, Dantona mentioned jobs, health care, and education as his primary concerns. These are the same issues he discussed in a September 13 article in the VC Reporter.

He added women’s reproductive rights to the list during an interview with me the night of his fundraiser.

“I care about the ability of women to be able to choose what they want, that they’re working on the same level,” he said.

The issues of jobs and health care are interrelated for Dantona.

“I am not against globalization,” he said. “What I’m against is when major corporations end up outsourcing jobs, Americans, Californians in particular, lose their jobs, they can’t afford any health care, they can’t afford anything else in terms of putting food on the table.”

Dantona objects to corporations receiving “tax benefits,” as he calls them, despite outsourcing jobs overseas.

Education is another key issue for Dantona, who believes that No Child Left Behind “doesn’t solve one problem in this state.” And, he says, “we need to get rid of it now.”

Getting back to the campaign itself, Dantona was gracious about his Democratic opponent—but makes it clear that he’s out to win: “I have no problem with Hannah-Beth, she’s a wonderful person. This district isn’t drawn for her. She’s way too far to the left and I’m a centrist and I’m the guy who can bring it all together. I have the leadership’s support on this thing and with that, that’s going to be the thing that wins the race, and that’s what I believe is going to happen.”

Environment Topic of Next Meeting of the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley

Voters in upcoming elections have a clear and easy choice: vote for Republicans, who in general deny that climate change is real, caused by human activity, and who will do nothing to address the issue, or vote for Democrats, who in general recognize that climate change is real, caused by human activity, and will draft legislation to mitigate its effects.

 

 

Former Vice President Al Gore wins a Nobel Prize for his work in publicizing the effects of climate change; current President George W. Bush suppresses testimony of executive branch officials about the severe effects of climate change.

 

 

It’s time we register our disapproval of the climate change deniers with our votes.

 

 

The Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley will devote its next meeting on Wednesday, November 14, to discussing ideas and “tangible actions we can take to reduce global warming in our community and our homes,” according to its newsletter.

 

 

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Goebel Senior Center at 1385 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks. For more information, see www.conejodemocrats.com or call 805-675-8785.

 

Young Progressive Democrats Set to Change Leadership

In an e-mail to supporters Sunday, Heather Schmidt, president of the Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County, announced the resignation of a number of executive board members .

Election of new executive board members will take place on Wednesday, October 24 at JJ Brewsky’s in Camarillo. Late nominations are being accepted until October 14.

Schmidt is stepping down as president but will remain chair to the executive committee.

“There comes a point where we decide what is the most effective way for us to make social change,” wrote Schmidt.

“Some of us in active leadership of this organization have decided that at this point in time, the most effective way for us to make social change is in ways other than the Young Progressive Democrats.”

 

“As for those of us leaving the organization, we will always support and be committed to the young voters and activists of this community,” she said.

“We will continue to be social activists and to invite you to have fun being social activists with us.”

Schmidt has graciously given the Conejo Valley Democrat permission to publish the resignation e-mail here. It appears below. It is particularly interesting to read the short, month-by-month history she has compiled of the club’s accomplishments. This appears near the bottom of this post.

The Young Progressive Democrats have done a lot in the club’s brief history, as Schmidt’s account makes clear. The Conejo Valley Democrat salutes their accomplishments.

 

 

Sunday, October 7th, 2007
Press Release

 

Resignation of Executive Officers of the YPD Oct 8 2007

 

Dear Young Progressive Democrats and Friends of YPD,

In our year of existence, we have seen an amazing change in youth involvement in this community, across the spectrum of political parties. We have met Greens in their 20s that want to mend ways with the Democrats and work together towards building a progressive message for our community. We have met young Republicans that are not only civilized, but out-right welcoming, and we have sat together and discussed issues as friends. But most of all, we have met Young Democrats who want to be involved, who crave to be active and who have been quietly looking for a place to suit their desire to make social change.

Much to the disappointment of the more conservative faction of this community, there are Young Democrats here and they do care about voting and making their votes count. This is what we have learned over the last year.

When this club began just over a year ago, in September of 2006, the small group of people that started it had a vision much different from what it has become today. That is not to say that the Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County is anything other than a great, power-house of an organization; however, for some of us, it is no longer what we were looking for and have decided that it is time for us to move on to bigger and better things.

It is important to always remember that this organization was founded for reasons and values uncharacteristic of the typical Democratic Club — our mission has never been JUST to get Democrats elected, but rather to cultivate progressive leaders in this community that will not only be one-day elected but build a permanent progressive infrastructure in our community that will last.

Most importantly, though, our mission was to always have fun while doing this — to do this and not be muddied down with technicalities.

We wanted to have a forum where if we have an event, we have an event — there are no agendas, no personalities and everyone is welcome. We wanted to give young people room to seek their self-interest and speak their ideas free of worrying who is waiting around the corner to use their words against them.

We wanted to take the politics out of politics and have a good time as social activists making significant change.

The Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County is an organization that many of us are proud of building, are proud of standing up for and are proud of saying was our baby from the beginning. But the turn this organization must take now is that of a Democratic Club whose mission is different than our vision and so we turn it over into the hands of those clearly ready to raise the funds and do the work that this Democratic Club is now ready to do.

As for those of us leaving the organization, we will always support and be committed to the young voters and activists of this community. We will continue to be social activists and to invite you to have fun being social activists with us.

And if worse comes to worse, you will always find us at J.J. Brewsky’s on Drinking Liberally night, whether we’re really liberally drinking or passing out light-bulbs or talking Presidential Primaries.

There comes a point where we decide what is the most effective way for us to make social change. Some of us in active leadership of this organization have decided that at this point in time, the most effective way for us to make social change is in ways other than the Young Progressive Democrats. I hope as leaders of this community we have helped guide many of you to the paths you were already moving towards on your own.

As always, in Peace and Prosperity.

Heather Schmidt
Outgoing President and Chair to the Executive Committee

 

 

Calendar of Accomplishments

In its first year, the Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County accomplished more than many Democratic Clubs or organizations do in a lifetime.

Please take a moment to take a trip down memory lane with us and get nostalgic with us in our year of great change.

 

September 2006
The Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County is founded in a small home in Simi Valley, California. There were 13 people and the organization has exploded since. Many members of the Young Progressive Democrats also attended an open training with Barbara Graves and the Precinct Captains system to learn more about making our community a more progressive one.

October 2006
The Camarillo ACORN featured an article on the Young Progressive Democrats walking precincts with candidates for office available in print and online.
The Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County hosts its Kick-Off Party to introduce itself to the community and have a great time. The event was at the outdoor patio at B.J.’s in Oxnard and many stopped by to see.

November 2006
Teams of YPD activists hit the streets and help campaigns in posting signs all over town for various Democratic candidates and causes. YPD also designs and sends out a postcard to Decline to States for Congressional Candidate Jill Martinez and State Assembly Candidate Ferial Masry and facilitates a county-wide robocall with selected candidates and causes to every high-propensity Democrat in Ventura County.

December 2006
The Ventura County STAR does a feature article on YPD coming to town available in print and online.
The Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County hosts its first annual Madison-Jefferson Holiday Party, co-hosted with the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee, the Ventura Democratic Club and the Stonewall Democratic Club. Eighty attendees enjoyed political discussion and Holiday Fun.

January 2007
Drinking Liberally VC Chapter starts and the Young Progressive Democrats reconvene after the holidays to begin planning outreaching to students and other young activists in the community.

February 2007
Drinking Liberally VC Chapter takes it to new heights with new faces and events seeing upwards of 30 to 40 people. YPD also attended an immigration march in Oxnard in support of the many immigrants that are looking for legalization and support in our community.

March 2007
YPD attended a number of vigils and peace marches in support of peace and in observance of the anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war. We attended a vigil in Ventura, a vigil in Thousand Oaks and a peace march in Ventura later in the week. YPD hosts its first annual Saint Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl in downtown Ventura. YPD instilled political fun and activism into the evening, including playing political charades, raising awareness of the organization and signing up fifteen new Democrats in the bars hit up through the evening. Also, members from YPD that oppose the LNG plant off the cost of Oxnard attended and protested the hearings to put the plant into our community. The plant was denied access to the Oxnard waters, but the fight still continues.

April 2007
In observation of Earth Day or Earth Month, the Young Progressive Democrats engaged in a variety of activities in honor of our Mother Earth. The April meeting held a lively discussion with student and activist Spencer Burke (student of Harvard University) on Global Warming and its effects on our community and at the end of April, Drinking Liberally VC and YPD passed out 100 energy-saving, Earth-friendly light bulbs to the patrons of Dargans in downtown Ventura. At the end of April, the Young Progressive Democrats also crashed the California Democratic Party state convention and mingled with other Young Democrats, including our young State Assembly representatives and Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson at the San Diego Young Democrat’s Art Museum event.

May 2007
The Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County holds a meet-up at the UFCW Hall in Ventura to hear speakers and activists on the Rocketdyne Power Plant in Simi Valley. Screening of the Rocketdyne History Channel, and documentarist John Hofius and STAR journalist Teresa Rochester led a discussion on the meltdown and tragedies of the powerplant overlooking Simi Valley. The end of May also saw a Women’s Issue Luncheon to connect young women to older political mentors. Mayor Maricela Morales discussed Women’s Economic Interests.

June 2007
June was healthcare month for the Young Progressive Democrats and Drinking Liberally VC. At the first Drinking Liberally for the month, we listened to speakers from OneCareNow.org and Planned Parenthood talk about the healthcare crisis in America. Activists hit the street in June and asked Father’s Day pedestrians in downtown Ventura to sign petitions in support of Sheila Kuehl’s SB 840 for Universal Healthcare. And, the Young Progressive Democrats closed out the month by hosting a successful Dinner and a Movie Date Night with YPD, where we had a delicious California Pizza Kitchen dinner and screened Michael Moore’s newest film on healthcare SICKO.

July 2007
YPD garnered the support of many community members in July by hosting its first big fundraising Garage Sale. The morning was busy and we had great things to sell thanks to our devoted supporters. Special thanks to all the volunteers that helped out with the preparation and day. Also in July, the Young Progressive Democrats and Vote Blue Central Coast hosted an activist training and voter registration walk where we hit the streets and registered some new Democrats. We called it a Registration Rodeo to round up new Democrats and enjoyed a Western-style Pizza Party upon return. Many local candidates and electeds joined us in being trained and changing the registration patterns of our community.

August 2007
YPD launched a huge web campaign to garner interest from those that cannot always attend events and activities but still like to be involved. We bumped up our activity on youth outlets like myspace and facebook, we launched our website ypdofvc.org, we opened a blog and started guest blogging and posting on other sites and we even started our online newsletter “The Domestic Ass.” The Young Progressive Democrats were also represented at a more intensive training with Barbara Graves and the Precinct Captains system to learn about being precinct captains and interfacing with our community members.

September 2007
The Conejo Valley Democrat blog does a feature article on the Young Progressive Democrats available online. In the beginning of September, YPD was proud to be honored by the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats and California Young Democrats for hard work and to help build the club with a monetary grant to help our club keep moving in great directions. The Young Progressive Democrats and Drinking Liberally VC hosted an awareness of the Presidential Candidates event, called the President Hopefuls, at J.J. Brewsky’s in Camarillo. People eating and attending happy hour even stopped by to join us and hear representatives from all of the local campaigns. We had representatives from the Obama campaign, NWPC on behalf of Hillary’s campaign, the Draft Gore 2008 initiative, the Kucinich campaign, the OneCore Edwards campaign and one of our members even stood up and talked on behalf of his support for Bill Richardson. It was held on the same night as the Presidential Debates, so much great discussion was had. The Cal State University Channel Islands campus chapter of YPD is certified and begins.

 

 

Taking It to the Streets: The Young Progressive Democrats Gear Up

Heather Schmidt admits to being discouraged after Senator John Kerry’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2004.

“When I became involved in politics in 2004, I was one of the only ‘young’ people left after the Kerry-Edwards campaign and felt completely isolated, almost to the point of quitting! It is not isolating to be the only ‘young person,’ rather it is isolating to feel like the issues and the things that are important to you are not important to others, so then what is the point?”

But unlike many people in her situation, Schmidt did not quit. Instead, she and Refugio Mata organized a new group that would be responsive to and represent the political opinions of people like her: the Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County.

And the ball keeps rolling.

Today, the Young Progressive Democrats’ membership list is composed of more than 800 people of diverse backgrounds, occupations, and ages.

The organization’s first meeting drew 13 people. Meetings today can draw more than 100 people.

 

There are several organizations for Democrats in Ventura County, but Schmidt and Mata had compelling reasons for starting their own.

“Primarily we felt that the Democratic clubs in the county were not geared towards addressing the needs and the interests of young people such as a youth-oriented club would,” said Schmidt.

“Also, we felt that we needed to have a forum that was more open and progressive, especially as it pertains to discussing issues and giving people a place for their voices to be heard.”

Mata, the organization’s community outreach and communications chair, added that the Young Progressive Democrats were “formed as a reaction to the latest dangers and harmful impacts of neo-conservatism at large on the local and national arenas.”

 

“We wanted to do our part to start working on reversing the overall authoritarian conservative tilt that our country and our communities were sliding into,” he said.

 

“We also wanted to inject new life and energy into the Democratic Party by asserting our progressive values. By the same token, we wanted to serve as the conduit through which new progressive leadership could be fostered.”

 

Fostering leadership skills in their members is a primary goal of the Young Progressive Democrats. The group holds special events, connects its members with training, provides networking opportunities, and helps them get involved with other progressive organizations and causes.

 

They plan to soon conduct their own leadership training events.

 

Another focus for the group is getting its members politically involved and providing political education.

 

“Young people have an entire set of issues, or rather very similar issues that are framed in a different way, and they need to understand that their vote is important for that reason,” said Schmidt.

 

The organization tries to cater its activities to the desires and interests of its members.

 

“Rather than focusing on what we think is important or what we think is interesting, we have taken the approach of focusing on the individual and the self-interest of young people in an effort to get them politically involved and to the polls,” said Schmidt.

 

But the Young Progressive Democrats’ vision goes beyond that.

 

“We are definitely espousing a new school of thought that is trying to build a pan-progressive infrastructure–in the past, organizations have leaned heavily on a single-issue focus–with new types of goals and in the way that we advocate for people to do politics,” said Mata.

 

“Doing” politics is a key activity of the group’s members. Many volunteered for Ferial Masry’s 2006 bid for the California State Assembly. Others are involved in get-out-the-vote activities and voter registration, which Schmidt said will be a vital ingredient in expanding the influence of Democrats and winning elections in the 24th congressional district.

 

The Young Progressive Democrats are plainly serious about energizing their members and fomenting social change.

 

“This is not the typical club where people just meet to socialize and drink tea,” said Schmidt.

 

“While we have many social events to get people involved and keep them having fun, we are doing more things that make this more like a business. We have an annual report, we do strategic fundraising, budgeting and yearly planning, we set goals and stick to them…we don’t just have a monthly meeting and do a special event once in a while–we plan to make significant changes in the community and we strategize to do it.”

 

Schmidt identified a number of key issues important to Young Progressive Democrats.

 

Education is a big concern, with access to loans, grants, and scholarships being foremost, as well as educational quality.

 

Access to health care and its high costs also motivate the group’s members.

 

“Over 60% of students graduate from college with a bachelor’s and expect to get a job with health insurance and do not find one,” said Schmidt.

 

“A woman’s right to chose regarding anything that they do with their body,” including the issues of sex education, birth control, and abortion are also important to members, said Schmidt.

 

And Young Progressive Democrats are concerned about equal rights, said Schmidt, and particularly issues of race, religion, and sexuality.

 

 

The group was initially cautious about endorsing particular candidates for public office, instead concentrating on building the organization, but in August the Young Progressive Democrats established a procedure for selecting candidates as the organization’s choice.

 

“We have put together a policy that includes each candidate needing to answer a questionnaire and speak openly to our membership about what youth issues are important to them, how they will address those in office, and why young people should vote for them,” said Schmidt.

 

Mata commented on what kind of candidate the organization might be looking for: “We are definitely different from most Democratic Clubs in that we support progressive Democrats and progressive policies, not just any kind of Democrat.”

 

Despite this preference, the group maintains an open-door policy toward candidates.

 

“We wanted to make sure that every candidate was welcome to come to our club and speak openly about their candidacy and that all people felt welcome, because we are most definitely the most welcoming Democratic organization in Ventura County,” said Schmidt.

 

“We even encouraged, and continue to encourage, people of other political party to come and speak to and with us as a group.”

 

If it was unusual that Schmidt and Mata would take political participation to new heights by forming an organization that would motivate hundreds of people across Ventura County, it was even more unusual for Schmidt to step down as president only a year after the Young Progressive Democrats’ inception.

 

“In 2007 I did not want to run for president again simply because I thought someone else should have the chance at having a hand in building this amazing organization as it is today,” said Schmidt.

 

“I like to get things started, get people motivated and then help them find and hold positions of leadership that will help build their characters, careers, etc.”

 

“I think one of the major problems in the Democratic Party and in other local political organizations is old leadership. Someone gets into ‘power’ and has a firm, tight grip on it for years and years and years. I don’t like that. It discourages people from being involved and intimidates people from speaking up. I want everyone that wants to run for a position of leadership in our organization to run and have the experience that I have had. I want very much for our organization to stick to its membership-driven mission and see constant change-over, constant internal movement, constant mobilization of members.”

 

Schmidt said that Mata and Simi Valley blogger Brian Mack are two candidates for the organization’s presidency.

 

When the group’s new president takes office, Schmidt will move into the position of executive director of the administrative staff.

 

Going forward, Schmidt identified the organization’s goals: “To get more young people involved, to continue to work to find out what will get them in and keep them in, to provide opportunities to young people at schools in Ventura County and to create a more permanent progressive infrastructure into the community of Ventura County, to continue to work on changing the dynamics of the district and not to stop and get comfortable once they do change, to try and make Ventura County a more youth-friendly community, including job training, job placement, education access, etc. And, to continue to focus our activities on what our members are seeking rather than what we or other ‘party line followers’ are asking for.”

 

For more information about the Young Progressive Democrats of Ventura County, visit the organization’s website at ypdofvc.org or the group’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/vcyoungprogressives.

The Good News and the Bad News about the Simi Valley Church Protests

What a week it has been for Simi Valley.

 

 

On Friday, the Ventura County Star reported that the anti-illegal immigration group Save our State would stage a protest Sunday at United Church of Christ in Simi Valley. The protesters were angered, some enraged, about the church sheltering an illegal immigrant and her infant son.

 

 

The immigrant, Liliana, crossed illegally into the United States nine years ago but is married to an American citizen and has three children who are American citizens.

 

 

On Saturday, the Star published an editorial calling the protest a “waste of time.”

 

 

“People with nothing better to do than to harass Simi Valley churchgoers on Sunday plan to protest at the United Church of Christ in Simi Valley,” read the column.

 

 

The Star urged the Save Our State to cancel their protest and “work constructively to encourage our politicians to pass a sensible, humane immigration policy.”

 

 

Bravo.

 

 

Save Our State, not entirely rational people, did not listen.

 

 

Instead they engaged in a loud, obnoxious protest, against a woman and her baby. And in front of a church, no less.

 

 

They drew both neo-Nazis, who sympathize with their views, and counter-protesters, who do not.

 

 

One counter-protester, Naui Huitzilopochtli, was hosed down with pepper spray. And not by the police. A very dramatic photo showed him clutching his face in pain.

 

 

Brook Young (a man), one of the protesters, claims to be the perp. He has a lawyer.

 

 

A group called Immigration Watchdog has produced two very slick videos of the incident. They shed little light onto what actually happened, but do show that common sense was not common currency on either side.

 

 

Apparently, Young claims to have been attacked by Huitzilopochtli and acted in self-defense. Huitzilopochtli claims he was just trying to find the bathroom.

 

 

But that was a sideshow. The real action came after the protest, when Simi Valley Mayor Paul Miller sent the church a bill for the protests. Now follow along here, Miller sent the church a bill not for protesting, but for causing a protest.

 

 

Hmm, dubious legal footing, I’d say.

 

 

Scholars agree.

 

 

Quoted in the Star, Los Angeles attorney Carl Shusterman said, “It just seems a little bit backward to charge the church. It seems the city is pandering to popular opinion in the community.”

 

 

This is correct.

 

 

Rabbi John Sherwood said in the same article, “If people want to demonstrate, requiring the police to be there, let the demonstrators be the ones who pay.”

 

 

This is wrong. Nobody should pay to protest. We have a First Amendment to the Constitution, which protects just this kind of speech, both on the part of the protesters and on the part of the church.

 

 

The Star, in an editorial, spoke out strongly against the actions of the city government.

 

 

The good news is that the American Civil Liberties Union might step in.

 

 

In another Star article, ACLU attorney Peter Bibring said, “Paying for the cost of a political demonstration like this is paying for protection of freedom of expression, which is the price of living in a democracy.”

 

 

“If people had to pay, no one would ever demonstrate.”

 

 

Finally, some decency.

 

 

And for the last bit of indecency, we present you with our congressman, Elton Gallegly: “Clearly the city is in the right to go in and take whatever is necessary.”

 

 

Is it really that clear? We’ll find out when voters go to polls.

Christine Pelosi to Speak at Democratic Club Fundraiser

Christine Pelosi, daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will speak at this year’s garden party fundraiser for the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley on Sunday, September 30.

 

 

Pelosi, an attorney and Democratic Party activist, has written a book being published October 1, Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders. She has more than 30 years of experience in political organization and encouraging voter turnout.

 

 

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said in the San Francisco Chronicle that Pelosi is a “great tactician. Her commitment to her mother is remarkable.”

 

 

Pelosi has chaired the California Democratic Party Platform Committee and served as the executive director of the California Democratic Party, deputy city attorney and assistant district attorney for the City of San Francisco, Department of Housing and Urban Development special counsel in the Clinton administration, and chief of staff to U.S. Congressman John F. Tierney (MA-06).

 

 

The DCCV’s Fifth Annual Garden Party Fundraiser will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at the Los Robles Greens Banquet Room at 299 South Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks. Reservations are required. Funds raised from the event will go to support the DCCV’s activities, such as voter outreach and special events.

 

 

To make a reservation or for more information, visit www.conejodemocrats.com or call 805-675-8785.

Garden Party Official Flyer

 

The Ups and Downs of Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama fired up a crowd of an estimated 6,000 people in Santa Barbara today.

 

This evening, Santa Barbara television station KSBY ran an article and posted this video about the presidential candidate’s visit. Pitifully, the Santa Barbara News-Press, pariah of South Coast newspapers, had nothing on its front page about the visit tonight. Neither did the Ventura County Star.

 

The following quotes are from the KSBY article and video:

 

“I really think he has the power to change the country through inspiring millions of people like myself,” said supporter George Corbin.

 

Another supporter, James Johnson, said, “I think it’s really about changing the system, and the fact that he really understands that inspires me a lot.”

 

Obama’s comments seemed to strengthen these views: “If you’re looking for a president of the United States of America, then don’t just bet on this campaign, believe in yourself.”

 

I trust we’ll get better reporting of the event tomorrow morning.

 

Tonight, Obama attends a fundraiser at Oprah Winfrey’s home in nearby Montecito.

 

Today, the Los Angeles Times ran the puzzlingly poorly edited article, “Obama: A Fresh Face or an Old-school Tactician?” It does not paint a flattering portrait of Obama in the rough-and-tumble Chicago political scene.

 

He was ambitious, says the article, citing a staffer, Cynthia K. Miller, as saying Obama had told her he planned to be president. This was in 1995.

 

Among other things, the article implies that Obama had directed state money to a nonprofit run by Yesse Yehudah as a payment-in-kind for a series of donations to his failed campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives.

 

The article describes how Obama helped black-owned investment firms get money from the state pensions funds and then received large campaign donations from them, particularly from Ariel Capital.

 

Another odd incident occurred when Obama bought a $1.65 million house in Chicago. The seller of the house also wanted to sell a small parcel of land along with the house. Antoin Rezko is an early financial supporter of Obama who was recently under federal indictment. His wife bought the land and later sold it back to Obama, who has now transferred it to his lawyer. Obama admitted his involvement in this affair was“boneheaded.”

 

So, our hero does not have completely clean hands. This is disheartening. But does Hillary? Does John Edwards? Does any politician? Should we plug our noses and hope for the best?

 

Certainly, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards would all be preferable to any Republican currently on offer. At least our candidates would not trample on the Constitution as the present president has done. And luckily, the GOP probably does not have the courage to choose Rudolph Giuliani as its candidate, he’s too liberal on social issues, after all, and secretly tolerates gays. Therefore the Republicans’ candidate will lose the election handily.

But I am tired of the same old politician, the type that does not understand that political office is a sacred public trust, that no portion of this can be bought and sold. I had hoped Obama was not one of these. Is all of this blown out of proportion? I certainly hope so.